Fear Thy Fork: 10 of the Scariest Recent Food Recalls and Outbreaks

Foodborne illnesses kill more than 3,000 people a year in this country. We've rounded up some of the scariest recent outbreaks.

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10 Reasons to Fear Your Food Supply

It was sad and scary news to peanut butter lovers everywhere when Trader Joe's recalled a batch of peanut butter this week. And with good reason—foodborne illness is no joke. But the reality is that outbreaks and recalls happen all the time, not just among high-profile companies. One in six Americans become ill from a foodborne illness each year. From meats to veggies to candies, no part of the food system is immune to the lax regulation and bureaucracy that get in the way of a safe and healthy food system. Here are just ten of the scariest outbreaks of the last few years.

(Photo: Rebecca Weaver/Getty Images)

Half a Billion Eggs

In the summer of 2010, more than 550 million eggs suspected of salmonella poisoning were recalled and traced back to just two farms in Iowa. To make matters worse, one FDA official said the whole thing was preventable.

(Photo: imwaytoobusy.com)

Cantaloupe Chaos

Cantaloupes became a scary edible in 2011 when listeria on the fruits led to 30 deaths across 11 states. Prior to the outbreak, auditors visited the facility and rated it "superior." What followed shortly after was the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in 25 years.

(Photo: Pamela N. Martin/Getty Images)

Salmonella-Tainted Mangos

(Photo: Visage/Getty Images)

Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta salata cheese became a deadly salad topping for three people this year when a batch from Forever Cheese of Astoria, New York, was contaminated with listeria. At least 14 additional people were sickened.

(Photo: Joe Fox/Getty Images)

13,000 Pounds of Salad

With so many meats getting recalled, it's easy to put the blame on animal-production practices. But veggies are vulnerable, too. In August of this year, more than 13,000 pounds of salad had to be recalled after diced onions were suspected of listeria contamination.

(Photo: Tom Grill/Getty Images)

Lead in Your Red Vines

Not even candy is safe. Black licorice Red Vines were recently pulled from shelves after a batch was discovered to have elevated levels of lead in it.

(Photo: Brenbot/Creative Commons via Flickr)

Bag It: They're Tainted

Six states had to pull more than 1,077 cases of bagged salads from shelves at Walmart and Kroger stores due to a possible listeria contamination in June of this year.

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TakePart is the digital news and lifestyle magazine from Participant Media, the company behind such acclaimed documentaries as CITIZENFOUR, An Inconvenient Truth, and Food, Inc. and feature films including Lincoln and Spotlight.